pattibear
11-15-2007, 10:28 AM
Things have bee going crazy around here, first a local paper did a press release and then we were asked to appear on NBC15 morning show. What a thrill. Nov. 6th was exciting as well as very scary for me. I had never been on tv or even thought of it. Here is the press release
Resorter, Friday, August 24, 2007, Page 6
Pattibears Place, loocated in downtown Montello, celebrated its second anniversary on Aug. 15. The gift-craft shop is
filled to the brim with unique, mostly handmade items from floor to ceiling, handcrafted by shop-owner Patti Lekas and
a handful of other artisans.
When entering the gift shop, the first thing a customer
will notice is Patti’s signature “Dress Me Welcome Friends.”
These are handcrafted cut-out animals that serve as outdoor welcome
signs that have interchangeable wooden clothing pieces. Lekas
started making these in her home ten years ago and began with
bears only. However, because her mother has a pig collection, Lekas
decided to make a pig welcome sign, and from that grew the inspiration to
craft other welcome animals, which now totals 12 different animals or figures,
including a dalmatian dog, cow, raccoon, snowman, bassett hound, pug
dog, gingerbread man, and several others. She currently is designing a beagle.
The wooden clothing pieces, made interchangeable through the use
of sturdy velcro, include seasonal outfits, such as a bikini ensemble, and a rain
coat; sports outfits, including hunting, fishing, and golf, as well as school teams;
occupational outfits, such as a nurse, a sailor, and a fireman; fancy outfits,
including a princess, a bride, and a ballerina; holiday outfits, such as Santa,
a pilgrim, and a witch; hobby outfits; Scouting outfits; and miscellaneous
outfits, including a cowboy, red hatter, cat lover, Packers, etc.
According to Lekas, the idea of one welcome sign with interchangeable
“clothes” is popular with her customers, rather than having a number of
different outdoor decorative signs that have to be stored whenever the season
or holiday changes.
“Many people come into the shop to browse and buy new ‘outfits’ for their signs on a regular basis,” said
Lekas. “Many customers will come into the shop or call me, asking me to make a custom ‘outfit’ for a special
family occasion, too.”
Lekas loves to paint and will apply her painting skills to just about anything. Take, for example, the rocks
she has cleverly displayed throughout the shop. Lekas sees a rock and begins to imagine it as being a bunny
or raccoon or some other animal she could create by painting the rock.
“Once I painted a bunch of little rocks into bunnies and gave them to my granddaughter to take to
school to give to her friends,” said
Lekas with a smile. “The next thing
I know, she was bringing me rocks
that she and her friends found on
the playground. The teachers wondered
why the girls were picking up
rocks, keeping some, and throwing some back down on the ground.”
Her rock-painting reputation has become well-known in the area. On many a
day, Lekas will find a large rock or a box of rocks sitting by the door of her shop
when she opens for the day.
Lekas is also known for her large painted pole or log Santa Claus figurines and is
amazed how many women will purchase them and carry them to their cars. “Where
there’s a will, there’s a way I guess,” laughed Lekas.
Lekas also paints a multitude of signs for display purposes, generally those that have
a humorous touch, like “Campers have smore fun,” or “Gone Fishing, Back for Deer
Season.” Just browsing the shop and reading the signs are a fun experience.
A self-taught painter, Lekas also paints designs on figure skates, picket fence
pieces, and just about anything
you ask her to paint. She also
custom paints designs on items
people bring into the shop.
Lekas, her husband, and their
five children had been coming to
a campsite at Puckaway Shores
Campground for about 20 years
when they finally noticed a cottage
for sale just around the corner
from the campground. Driving
every weekend from Chicago, they
were sick of leaving on a Friday afternoon, driving up to the campsite, and then turning around
and driving back on Sunday. They loved the beauty of the area, the people, and the slower pace,
so they decided to make the move to the Montello area.
Lekas did her painting and crafting from her home, but it was when one of her sons came
for a visit from Philadelphia that she decided to open a shop. “He actually decided for me,” said
Lekas. “He mentioned the vacant shop downtown in Montello and suggested I open a shop. But
when I said I wasn’t sure about the idea, he told her that he already told the building owner
‘she’ll take it’ and that was that.”
Lekas is happy she opened the shop. In addition to obviously having more space at home,
she has met many people from the area and outside the area. She has also met other crafters
and artisans and has included some of their work in her shop.
There are hand-knit and crocheted baby blankets and clothing items, quilts and quilt
pieces, knit caps, fleece blankets, floral arrangements, stained glass, garden décor, and many other
items that fill the shelves at Pattibears Place. Lekas is also very proud of the handcrafted tournament-
style wooden cribbage boards that her uncle, Ed Rees, who lives in Watertown, makes for
the shop.
Lekas teaches rock-painting classes to small groups. The classes, scheduled for two hours each,
usually end up being 3 1/2 to 4 hours. “That’s because with rock-painting comes a lot of socializing
and laughing,” said Lekas. “Sometimes grandparents are looking for things to do with their visiting
grandchildren and I tell them there’s nothing better than finding rocks together and then sitting at a
picnic table all day and painting them. Kids learn more about their grandparents and grandparents learn more about their grandchildren when they
are together painting rocks,” smiled Lekas.
Lekas is also active with a group of Montello merchants that call themselves “The New Montello Group.” The group plans special community events,
such as a merchant scavenger hunt, and the Harvest Festival planned for September 15. “We want people to stop and enjoy our area and our businesses,”
said Lekas. “Montello has a lot to offer.”
Pattiebears Place is located at 66 West Montello Street. Contact them at (608) 297-8218 or e-mail at patti@pattibears.com. THe website is
www.pattibears.com. The shop is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With her painting skills, Patti Lekas transforms rocks into little
bunnies, raccoons, dogs, cats, and other
critters and cleverly displays them throughout her shop.
Patti Lekas, with one of her signature
“Dress Me Welcome Friends,” makes interchangeable
wooden “clothing”
outfits for any season, holiday,
sports, occupation, and more.
Lekas paints on just about anything
you give her. This woman’s ice skates
host a hand painted cardinal sitting on
a snow-covered pine bough.
Offers Many Unique Crafts
Story & Photos by
Sherry Kelley
Resorter, Friday, August 24, 2007, Page 6
Pattibears Place, loocated in downtown Montello, celebrated its second anniversary on Aug. 15. The gift-craft shop is
filled to the brim with unique, mostly handmade items from floor to ceiling, handcrafted by shop-owner Patti Lekas and
a handful of other artisans.
When entering the gift shop, the first thing a customer
will notice is Patti’s signature “Dress Me Welcome Friends.”
These are handcrafted cut-out animals that serve as outdoor welcome
signs that have interchangeable wooden clothing pieces. Lekas
started making these in her home ten years ago and began with
bears only. However, because her mother has a pig collection, Lekas
decided to make a pig welcome sign, and from that grew the inspiration to
craft other welcome animals, which now totals 12 different animals or figures,
including a dalmatian dog, cow, raccoon, snowman, bassett hound, pug
dog, gingerbread man, and several others. She currently is designing a beagle.
The wooden clothing pieces, made interchangeable through the use
of sturdy velcro, include seasonal outfits, such as a bikini ensemble, and a rain
coat; sports outfits, including hunting, fishing, and golf, as well as school teams;
occupational outfits, such as a nurse, a sailor, and a fireman; fancy outfits,
including a princess, a bride, and a ballerina; holiday outfits, such as Santa,
a pilgrim, and a witch; hobby outfits; Scouting outfits; and miscellaneous
outfits, including a cowboy, red hatter, cat lover, Packers, etc.
According to Lekas, the idea of one welcome sign with interchangeable
“clothes” is popular with her customers, rather than having a number of
different outdoor decorative signs that have to be stored whenever the season
or holiday changes.
“Many people come into the shop to browse and buy new ‘outfits’ for their signs on a regular basis,” said
Lekas. “Many customers will come into the shop or call me, asking me to make a custom ‘outfit’ for a special
family occasion, too.”
Lekas loves to paint and will apply her painting skills to just about anything. Take, for example, the rocks
she has cleverly displayed throughout the shop. Lekas sees a rock and begins to imagine it as being a bunny
or raccoon or some other animal she could create by painting the rock.
“Once I painted a bunch of little rocks into bunnies and gave them to my granddaughter to take to
school to give to her friends,” said
Lekas with a smile. “The next thing
I know, she was bringing me rocks
that she and her friends found on
the playground. The teachers wondered
why the girls were picking up
rocks, keeping some, and throwing some back down on the ground.”
Her rock-painting reputation has become well-known in the area. On many a
day, Lekas will find a large rock or a box of rocks sitting by the door of her shop
when she opens for the day.
Lekas is also known for her large painted pole or log Santa Claus figurines and is
amazed how many women will purchase them and carry them to their cars. “Where
there’s a will, there’s a way I guess,” laughed Lekas.
Lekas also paints a multitude of signs for display purposes, generally those that have
a humorous touch, like “Campers have smore fun,” or “Gone Fishing, Back for Deer
Season.” Just browsing the shop and reading the signs are a fun experience.
A self-taught painter, Lekas also paints designs on figure skates, picket fence
pieces, and just about anything
you ask her to paint. She also
custom paints designs on items
people bring into the shop.
Lekas, her husband, and their
five children had been coming to
a campsite at Puckaway Shores
Campground for about 20 years
when they finally noticed a cottage
for sale just around the corner
from the campground. Driving
every weekend from Chicago, they
were sick of leaving on a Friday afternoon, driving up to the campsite, and then turning around
and driving back on Sunday. They loved the beauty of the area, the people, and the slower pace,
so they decided to make the move to the Montello area.
Lekas did her painting and crafting from her home, but it was when one of her sons came
for a visit from Philadelphia that she decided to open a shop. “He actually decided for me,” said
Lekas. “He mentioned the vacant shop downtown in Montello and suggested I open a shop. But
when I said I wasn’t sure about the idea, he told her that he already told the building owner
‘she’ll take it’ and that was that.”
Lekas is happy she opened the shop. In addition to obviously having more space at home,
she has met many people from the area and outside the area. She has also met other crafters
and artisans and has included some of their work in her shop.
There are hand-knit and crocheted baby blankets and clothing items, quilts and quilt
pieces, knit caps, fleece blankets, floral arrangements, stained glass, garden décor, and many other
items that fill the shelves at Pattibears Place. Lekas is also very proud of the handcrafted tournament-
style wooden cribbage boards that her uncle, Ed Rees, who lives in Watertown, makes for
the shop.
Lekas teaches rock-painting classes to small groups. The classes, scheduled for two hours each,
usually end up being 3 1/2 to 4 hours. “That’s because with rock-painting comes a lot of socializing
and laughing,” said Lekas. “Sometimes grandparents are looking for things to do with their visiting
grandchildren and I tell them there’s nothing better than finding rocks together and then sitting at a
picnic table all day and painting them. Kids learn more about their grandparents and grandparents learn more about their grandchildren when they
are together painting rocks,” smiled Lekas.
Lekas is also active with a group of Montello merchants that call themselves “The New Montello Group.” The group plans special community events,
such as a merchant scavenger hunt, and the Harvest Festival planned for September 15. “We want people to stop and enjoy our area and our businesses,”
said Lekas. “Montello has a lot to offer.”
Pattiebears Place is located at 66 West Montello Street. Contact them at (608) 297-8218 or e-mail at patti@pattibears.com. THe website is
www.pattibears.com. The shop is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With her painting skills, Patti Lekas transforms rocks into little
bunnies, raccoons, dogs, cats, and other
critters and cleverly displays them throughout her shop.
Patti Lekas, with one of her signature
“Dress Me Welcome Friends,” makes interchangeable
wooden “clothing”
outfits for any season, holiday,
sports, occupation, and more.
Lekas paints on just about anything
you give her. This woman’s ice skates
host a hand painted cardinal sitting on
a snow-covered pine bough.
Offers Many Unique Crafts
Story & Photos by
Sherry Kelley